Box Score

LAWRENCEVILLE - The Georgia Gwinnett softball team stayed hot with another pair of run-rule victories on Saturday at home over Bluefield (Va.), piling up 26 runs over two games to run its record to 4-0 on the young season. In game one, GGC surged late to take a 10-1 decision in six innings, while game two featured a seven-run fourth inning in a 16-6 five-inning win.

"We started slowly today as we were a little anxious to capitalize on our momentum from earlier in the week," said GGC head coach Kat Ihlenburg. "In the first game, Ashley Beyke did another phenomenal job, keeping us in the game until our offense caught up with her."

"It was a slow start again in the first inning of game 2, but we quickly capitalized after some adjustments, and the bottom of the lineup really came through. It was also great to see senior Kayla Byrom have a strong start on the mound."

Cassidy Littlefield belted her second home run of the season and scored four times on the day for a GGC attack that tallied 22 hits on the afternoon.

Alyssa Hathcoat led all players with five hits, while Chelsi Palazzo drove in three runs and scored three times.

In the circle, Beyke (2-0) allowed just one earned run over six innings with three strikeouts and Byrom (1-0) fanned four over four innings of work as each pitcher notched a win.

All four of the Grizzlies' games thus far have been won by run rule.

Game 1

The Grizzlies plated the first run of the game in bottom first on a two-out error as Littlefield scored from second.

GGC loaded the bases with one out in the second, but could not add to its lead.

In the bottom of the third, a one-out double by Thompson keyed the inning and Chelsi Palazzo's two-out double drove in the second run of the game to make 2-0.

In the Bluefield fifth, a leadoff double from the pitcher got things going, and an infield bunt made it 2-1.

The Grizzly bats got going in their next chance to pad the lead. A leadoff bunt single and a pair of stolen bases by Alyssa Hathcoat put her at third with nobody out. Tori Heinemann's infield single scored a run and then a triple by Littlefield made it 4-1. Mary Burk drilled a double to left-center to make it 5-1, GGC.

Later, a pair of singles, a double steal and a throwing error scored a run, and later a wild pitch scored Hathcoat to make it 7-1.

The Grizzlies plated another run on a wild pitch, then Palazzo's two-run double to the wall in left field finished the scoring.

Game 2

A leadoff single in the first inning helped the Rams out to an early 1-0 lead with Tianna Macies' two-out RBI single.

The Grizzlies needed little time in reclaiming the lead, scoring five times in the second inning. Brittany Bruns' two-run single put GGC on top, 2-1, then a two-out RBI single from Heinemann made it 3-1. Littlefield then blasted a two-run homer well over the wall to right for her second long ball of the season, making it 5-1.

The Grizzlies added to their lead in the next inning, adding four more scores with the help of hits by Burk and Hathcoat, plus a Rams error, as GGC built a 9-1 advantage through three innings.

The Rams put up four scores of their own in the fourth inning, sparked by an RBI single from Victoria Pietsch, but 9-5 was as close as the visitors would get the rest of the way.

The Grizzlies used a pair of defensive errors and four hits to tally seven scores in the bottom of the fourth inning. Abby Hulsey and Heinemann each blasted two-run doubles, while Hathcoat pitched in an RBI single.

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